Lemon potted trees in thousands and 2 Saint Catherines.

Does it make a sense? Yes, in Tuscany it does!

Can you figure how many lemon potted trees are in Tuscany? Actually no one knows since they are so widely spread.

It's not because of limocello as it became popular only recently, these ones I'm talking about are usually very old and when I say old I mean decades or in some cases centuries.

Lemons simbolize faithful love and salvation, precious fruits of the sunrays colour became fashionable when Medicis became to power. There was no important villa that did not adorn.

Lemon trees however do not tolerate the winter cold in Tuscany so it became common practice to grow them in pots that could be moved under a shelter before winter, the lemon houses, Limonaia, were built.

Some of them were very large and spacious and nowadays in many locations were turned into beautiful halls for banquets.

As it often happens for the traditions related to the uses of the countryside it was necessary to establish an easy date to remember when keeping lemons inside and when returning in the open air.

Saints come to our help, Saint Catherine of Siena, celebrated on April 29 is the day to bring back lemon pots to garden while by 25 November for Saint Catherine of Alexandria they must safely return into the Limonaia.

Photo credits Pinterest , Anna Kukawska